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Unità
1
Introduzione all’informatica
28
in English, please
unità
1
Glossary
Binary
: positional number system in base 2, using
only two symbols.
Bit
: abbreviation for binary-digit. A bit is the smallest
amount of information that can be transmitted or
processed.
Byte
: set of 8 consecutive bits. It is the elementary
cell of memory that can be addressed individually in
8-bit computers.
Calculator / Processor / Computer
: a system
capable of automatic processing.
CPU – Central Processing Unit
: It is the central
processing unit, or the brain of the computer.
Digital
: numeric. Digital is used in contrast to Analog
to indicate a discrete state machine with sequential
and non-continuous function.
File
: container of bytes stored on a disk identified
by a unique name. Bytes may also be structured into
records.
Hard-Disk
: magnetic disk drive.
Hardware
: the “hard” part of a system: it consists
of the electronics and mechanical components
(keyboard, video, memory, printer, ...), parts that
can be “touched”.
Input
: all data loading operations or the collection of
data that a program expects to receive.
Language
: fixed set of syntactic and semantic rules
according to which a program for the computer may
be written.
Memory
: computer device capable of storing data
and information.
Microprocessor
: an electronic component containing
the basic parts of a computer (control unit, arithmetic
logic units, and general purpose registers).
Output
: external data transfer operation (e.g. printer).
Personal Computer
: small computer with limited
performance ability.
Processing
: logical-deductive process for using data
and information to get results.
Program
: set of coded statements in the form of
commands understandable by the computer that guide
it to achieve a particular series of operations and that
allow it to transform input into output.
Operating System
: structured set of programs that
allow humans and computers to interact, and which
manage and coordinate the hardware and software
resources of a computer system and optimize its use.
It controls process management.
Software
: the “soft” part of a system, i.e., programs,
statements, or any parts that have no physical
substance.
Statements
: individual orders given to the computer
using a program written in a certain language.
5
Natural languages are used for human communication
T
F
6
High-level languages depend on the computer hardware
T
F
7
Low-level languages are independent from the computer hardware
T
F
8
The C + + language is:
a
low-level
b
high-level
c
logical
d
functional
Glossario
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